Drop brake mechanism



Feb. 22 1927.

A. F. O CONNOR DROP BRAKE MECHANISM Filed Sept. 26, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 22 1927.

-A. F. ocoNNoR DROP BRAKE MEcHANlsM 2 sheets-sheet' 2 Filed Sept. 26, 1923 i l Patented Feb. 2K2, 17927.

UNITED STATES #PATENT oFFlcE.

ARTHUR FQ OCONNOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T UNION RAILWAY EQUIP- MENT COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, CORBORATION OF ILLINOIS.

nnor ,BRAKE MncnANIsM.

Application iled September-26, 1923. Serial No. 664,900.

Myinvention relates to dropbrake mechanism and more particularly to a brake mechanism for fiat cars having a hand wheel which is adapted to be depressed or elevated as desired'.

l It is a purpose of the invention to provide a brake mechanism comprising a shaft having a hand wheel thereon,`which shaft, upon turning in one direction. winds a chain on a 1 0 shaft or sleeve to apply the brakes, said shaft carrying the hand wheel being provided with independently` mounted spaced bearings having sleeves therein which are adaptedl to rotate with the shaft in any po siti'on of the hand wheel, whereby said mechanism is adapted to'be mounted on a car no matter what is sill.

It is a further purpose of the invention to '20 provide a de vice of the above `mentioned character whlch is simple 1n construction' `and which is easily operated due to the fact that the sleeve members areso mounted in the bearings as to reduce friction'between the same as much as possible.

It is still a further purpose of the invention to provide a brake mechanism of the above mentioned character wherein the shaft carrying the hand wheel is provided with a pinion which meshes with a gear carried by the shaft upon which the Hexible member for applying the. brakes is wound so that the amount ofpower obtained by' actuation of the hand wheel is multiplied in accordance with the relative size of thepinion and geary wheel. 4 l

It is another object of the invention to provide a brake `mechanism wherein the.

slackin the chain is quickly taken up withoutv the use of complicatedl mechanism.

Other objects and advantages of the inyention will appear as the description of the accompanying drawings proceeds. However. I desire to have it distinctly 'understood that I do not intend to limit myself-t0 the exact details shown or described but that I intend to include as part of my invention all such obvious changes and modifications of parts as would occur toa person skilled in this art and as wouldfall withln the scope of the claims. l f

the shape ofthe end Fig. 2 is a similar view partly in eleva-1 tion and partly in section of the brake mechanlsm wlth the hand wheel-in elevated position;

of Fig. 2;

Fi'g 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing my winding mechanism applied to an ordinary hand brake;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modified form of locking means; and

Fig. 6 is a section 6 6 of Fig. 5. 1

Referring inv detail to the drawings, in Fig. 1 is shown a channel member 5 and a plate 6 forming the end sill of a car having the floor 7 Mounted on the channel mem-l ber 5 is abracket 8 having a laterally 'extending portion 9 provided'with an opening for a sleeve 10-through which the shaft 11 Fig. 3 vis a section taken on the line 3-3 thereof taken on line extends. Said channel member 5 is also provided with a bracket memberI 12 having a which the sleeve 14 is mounted and through which the shaft 11 also passes.

As will be clear from Fig. 3, the shaft 11 is square and the openings in thesleeves 10 and 14 are also square so that the shaft and sleeve will rotate together. Mounted on the upper end-'portion of the shaft 11 is a hand wheel 15 of any desired'construction, said hand wheel being held in placeby means of a nut 16 provided on the end of said shaft 11; The hand wheel is provided with an Oifset hub portion 17 so that the nut 16 and the end of the shaft 11 will n ot extend above the rim 18 of said hand wheel. Thel hub portion 17 extends within a socket 19 in the sleeve 14, said sleeve also having an upwardly extending portion 20 conforming portion 22 engaging the upper surbearin gof the bearing members 12 and 1-3.

face. 2

Said bearing members 12 and 13 are also-,

provided with inwardly extending rib portions 24 at the upper ends thereof and with yrib portions 25 whichare adapted tov enter the annular groove 26 in the sleeve 14, said annular groove being provided between. the

ists between the members 13 and 14 is at the point where the rib 22 engages with the upper surface of the member 13. The sleeve 14 is provided at the upper end thereof with an outwardly extending port-ion 29 which is provided with ratchet teeth 30 forming a ratchet wheel co-operating with the'pawl 31 pivotally mounted at 32, and having an extension 33 adapted to be engaged by the foot of the operator for movmg the pawl into and out of holding position, this being the usual ratchet and pawl construction in brakes of this character.

lt will be seen that due to the construction of the hand wheel-15 and .the sleeve 14, the hand wheel will be positioned below the upper surface of the floor 7 whenA Said .hand wheell in' depressed position. can, however,"be. extended to the position shown in Fig. 2, this being accomplished due to the construction of the sleeve 10.

The sleeve 10 Ais provided with an upwardly extending portion 34, having an opening 35 in the side thereof into which the pivoted holding finger 36 is adapted to be placed by placing the same in the opening from the upper end portion of the sleeve i of lateral extensions or pivot members 37 10. The member 36 is provided with a pair said member 36 is moved into its operative position. When the sha-ft 11 is inserted within the sleeve'lO, the member 36 will be held in position thereby as the entrance to the slots 38 will be closed. rlheV member 36 is provided with an operating extension 39 by means of which it may be moved 'out of holding position relative to the shaft 11.

The shaftll is provided with a recess 40 for receivingvthe end portion 41 of the member 36, said recess 40 providing .a shoulder 42 on the shaftll for engagement by the finger 41 to hold the shaft 11 in extended or elevated position, as shown in Fig. 2, said member 41 dropping into position in"vv the refcess 40 by the action of gravity. The recess 40, as will be clear from Fig. 1, is provided with a curved lower wall portion 43 and .if it is desired to move the member 36 out of the socket 40 to depress the hand wheel 15 it is necessary to actuate said member 36 by engagement with the extension or linger The sleeve 10 lits closely within the openings 44 and 45 in the bracket 8 and housing 46- respectively so as to hold the pinion 47 in proper alignment with the gear 48 mounted on, the shaft 49, said shaft 49 being journaled in a cross bar 50 provided on the castingl of which the housing 46 is a part. Said bar has a downwardlyl extending lyoke-like bracket member 51 thereon having a transversely extending portion 52 serving as a lower bearing member for the shaft 49, said shaft 49 having a reduced extension 53 extending into asuitable opening in the member 52 and rotatable therein. 'lhesl-xoulder 54 prevents the shaft 49 from droppingdownwardly and an opening 55 for a cotter pin is provided for preventing upward movement of said shaft. Said shaft is round and the gear 48 -is free to rotate thereon. rl`he gear 48 is provided with a depending lug 56 to which the chain 57 is secured by any suitable means, such as the bolt 58.

It will be evident that as the gear 48 is rotated the chain 57 will be wound on the depressed position and is held in any desired 'position by means of. the ratchet Wheel 29 in the ordinary well known manner.

The lower end portion of the shaft 11 is provide'd'i with a pair of .wings or lateral projections 59 formed by upsetting the metal from the portions 60 laterally. The wings or extensions 59 are adapted to enter suitable grooves 61 in the member 10, the upward movement of said shaft 11 being halted by engagement of the lugs or wings 59 with the ends of the grooves 61, thus preventing upward accidental withdrawal of the shaft. p v v The bar portion 50 is provided with \an apertured ear 62 for receiving securing means 63 for fastening the rear portion of said member to any convenient member 64' a very small bearing surface exists between the rotating parts and bearings, it being noted that the sleeve 10 and the sleeve -14 are both spaced otherwise from the bearings. The spacing of the sleeve 10 from the surrounding arts is`comparatively small so that the pinion-4T is held in proper alignment but is loose enough so that no material friction exists at these points. The frictionis still furtherl reduced and easier operation is obtained by providing the particular arc rangement of winding mechanism for the cham, whereby either the shaft 49 may rovnumber of extra parts andwithout making the chain and the lever to which the chain is secured of undesira'bly greater length. By

`mounting the end of the chain on the lug 56,

which is spaced laterally7 from the axis of rotation from the gear, it will be seen that when the gear is given its first half turn by means of the hand 'wheel from the position shown in Fig. l, the chain will be wound around the shaft 49 and will be carried past the same an equal distance on the opposite side thereof from that at which it is located in Fig. 1. This will take the slack Out'of the chain 57 very rapidly and furtherturning of the hand Wheel will wind the chain around the shaft 49 t6 further tension the same and apply the brakes.

Byproviding separate bearings for the upper end of the shaft and for the lower end of the shaft, the device can be appliedV to end sills of different depths and of different types without difficulty, 'it being only necessary to make'the shaft 11 of different lengths to correspond tothe different end sills. It will be noted that there is nothing connecting the upper and lower bearings except the shaft and that this is, of course, slidablefthe corresponding to the pinion 47 the shaft '11 being uared sothat the pinion 47 lwill -rotate t erewith, lsaid pinion 47 being mounted vin a housing 46 and meshing with the gear 48 mounted on the shaft 49 in the same way that the gear 48 is mounted on the shaft-49 and rotates thereon, said shaft 49' being mounted in bearings in the member 50 and in the yoke 51 in the same 'manner as the shaft 49. The gear 4 8has a lug 56 thereon corresponding to the lug 56 -and a chain 57 corresponding to the chain 57 is secured thereto and may be wound about the shaft 49 by rotation of said gea'.` 48 in the same manner as the chain 57 is wound around the shaft 49 by Vrotation of thel gear 48.

Instead. of providing the pivotally mount.-

ed member 3 6 for holding the shaft in elevated position, the arrangement shownin Fig. may be used in which the shaft '11, mounted in the housing 34', engages at its lower end 67 with a bolt 68 provided on the member 69, said member 69 being provided with an outwardly projecting ear 70 by means of which the same may be actuated and having an inclined face l engaging with the inclined face 72 on the housing 34 so that said member by gravity into locking position. The member 69 is inserted into position by passing thel same through the top of the housing 34 before'the shaft 11 is inserted. Said' mem'- be'r 69 is provided with a wide portion and a narrower portion defining the shoulder 73 and seats in a recess in the Wall of the housing 34', said recess having a wider and a narrower portion defining inwardly extending ]ip portions 74 so that the member 69 can not pass through the narrower portion of the opening *between opposite edges of the lips 74 but only the operatin end 70 extends therethrough. Thus, when t e shaft 11 is=in position the locking member is holding the shaft in elevated positionand can not be removed without Withdrawal of the shaft,

Having thus described my invention, what I desire-to claim and secure by United States Letters Patent is:

l. The combination with a railway car of brake mechanism comprising a shaft, a-hand Wheel thereon, spaced independent bearing members'on said car, and a pair of spaced independent sleeves ron said shaft each mounted in one of said bearing members, said shaft being slidable in said sleeves and said sleeves being rotatable with said shaft, one of said sleeves having ratchet teeth thereon and being loosely mounted in its bearing member, said sleeve having a depending rib engaging said bearin 2. 'The combination with a rai way car of brake mechanism comprising a shaft, a hand wheel thereon,l spaced independent 69 will slide 'f bearing members on said car, and a pairof spaced independent .sleeves on said shaft each mounted 1none of said bearing members, said shaft being slidable in said sleeves and said sleeves being rotatable with said' shaft, said sleeves having depending ribs engaging said bearings.

The combination with a railwa car of brake mechanism comprising a free y rotatable shaft, a freely rotatable gearl thereon, means for rotating said gear, a lug depending therefrom, a chain and means for securing a link of said chain to said lug so as to project radially outwardly therefrom, said chain being mounted so as to be carried around said shaft Without-rotating the same upon initial rotation of said gearand binding on said shaft to rotate the same upon continued rotation of said gear to wind said-chain, on said'shaft.

y A: l ff.' 1,618,2184

` 4. The combination with a railway car of being mounted so as to be wound upon said.

brake mechanlsm comprlsmg a rotatable -shaft after lmtlal rotatlon of sald gear.

shaft, n gear ciu-riad by Said shaft, a pinion In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscrlbe i0 for rotating sind gear, a lug depending from -my name ths,18th day Vof September A. D.,

5 said gear, :1 chain, :and means for securing 1923.

a link of said chain tovsa'd'lug so as to prov ject radgtllyoutwardly therefrom, Said chain ARTHUR F. OCONNOR. 

